SMSU name change means additional costs

Southwest Missouri State University’s identity crisis is almost over.
A bill changing the school’s name passed the Missouri House of Representatives March 1 and now heads to the desk of Gov. Matt Blunt, who has already vowed to sign the bill.
Senate Bill 98, sponsored by Sen. Norma Champion, R-Springfield, passed the state Senate Feb. 16 by a 25-7 vote.
State Rep. B.J. Marsh, R-Springfield, who worked for the House passage, said the margin of victory – 120 to 35 – was surprising.
“I’m still in shock,” Marsh said. “I couldn’t be happier, and I’m glad it’s over with. I’ve worked at this since 1988, and it passed this year for a lot of reasons. All the legislators in southwest Missouri were really behind me on this.”
If signed by the governor, Southwest Missouri State University would officially become Missouri State University Aug. 28.
“Missouri State University is an elite name for an elite school,” Marsh said.

Costs of a new name
The name change is going to create some costs for the school, from changes in letterheads and Web pages to new logo apparel and accessories for the university bookstore and new signage around the campus and the city.
Greg Burris, university vice president for administration and finance, said the costs of the changeover really fall into two categories.
“The first is consumable operational items,” Burris said. “One example is that we’ve been using special centennial letterhead for the last year and the intention was we would use up that stock during this year and then we’d reorder. Well, when we reorder next year, we’ll reorder with the new name. So those aren’t really new costs – those are costs that we would incur regardless.”
Those new printing jobs will go through the university print shop as per normal school procedure.
Burris said the other costs – the costs that aren’t part of normal operations – have been estimated at about $200,000. That figure is based on information from Texas State University, which changed its name from Southwest Texas State University in 2003. Those costs will be covered by the university foundation, which relies on gifts and private donations for its funds.
Those new costs include changing signs and logos around campus. A new logo has not yet been designed for the school, though Burris said designing that logo is the next step for school officials.
“We really tried not to get ahead of ourselves,” Burris said. “We didn’t take the vote for granted; we know the governor still has to sign it, though we do expect him to do that. We’re really trying not to get the cart before the horse.”
Greg Onstot, vice president for university advancement, said the name change will create work for area businesses.
“On the floor of Hammons Student Center, for example, there will have to be some work done – in terms of sanding the floor at the ends of the court and eventually painting it – by someone outside of the university,” Onstot said.
He added that those outside vendors would be chosen by the standard bidding process, which has not yet begun.

Economic benefit
But there are more than just costs associated with the new name. Marsh said the name change will reach well beyond Springfield.
“It will help our economy immensely, in southwest Missouri and all over the state,” Marsh said. “We’ll gain a lot of out-of-state students from this, and I’d estimate that for every student that comes in from out-of-state, the family will bring between $15,000 and $20,000 worth of revenue.”
Burris said the effects go beyond out-of-state revenue increases.
“It’s most clear to people when you explain that outside of a 500-mile radius of Springfield, those folks don’t necessarily know SMS, and when they hear the name Southwest Missouri State University, a particular image comes to mind,” Burris said. “And if you ask people what that image is, they say it’s about a 5,000-student, regional university in a small town. They don’t picture a 20,000-student, higher education institution with 43 graduate programs in a metro area.”
Onstot said the new name also gives the school a foot in the door with prospective students, faculty and business partners.
“People will be more apt to consider proposals that we submit to them … because, again, it comes back to the perception,” he said.
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